Welcome to the Real World
by Pirate Luvver
Summary: Artemis' college years. Rated PG for later chapters, possibly.
1. Chapter 1: Leaving Home

A/N: Hey ppl! Yet another disasterous story. ^_~  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis, or any of the characters mentioned in the books. I do own Matt and David, though, so if you want to use them in one of your stories, please ask in a review, and I'll let you know.  
  
Chapter 1: Leaving Home  
  
Artemis smoothed his hair back, and did up his shirt before running down the stairs and out the door to where his best friends, Matt and David, were waiting, along with his parents, and the Butlers. The car was packed, and everything was ready to go. Only one thing left to do: say goodbye.  
He slowed down, and walked casually up to his parents, smiling. "Mother, Father? I'm ready to go." He embraced them, then ran over to the car and jumped into the front seat.  
Matt revved the engine, and the last thing Artemis remembered was him yelling, "Don't worry! I'll be back for the holidays!" After that, his thoughts were drowned out by the noise of some loud punk music that David had just put on.  
Ah...college life.  
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How'd you like it? I know, short. Plz r/r 


	2. Chapter 2: Road Trip

Chapter 2: Road Trip  
  
An electric blue Porsche crawled along a quiet country road. In reality, it was disturbing the tranquility. The music was blasting as loud as was possible, and the passengers weren't doing anything to help.  
Artemis leaned out the window, feeling the fresh air grazing his pale face. He couldn't believe that he was finally going to college. At last, the excitement took over, and he let out a loud cry of joy, making the noise all the more thunderous.  
David laughed, putting his hand on his comrade's shoulder. "Calm down. We haven't even been driving for five minutes yet. We're just getting started."  
Artemis ducked back into the car's black leather interior. "Yes, but these are our last few hours of freedom before we arrive. Shouldn't we make them special?"  
Matt, who was driving at the moment, looked over at Artemis. "I agree with you. Let's have a bit of fun, shall we? School doesn't start officially until next Monday. I declare a road trip!"  
The three boys cheered as noisily as they could. Artemis beamed. This was going to be fun. The music was still blasting, they were enjoying themselves. This was how life was supposed to be.   
"First stop," Matt continued, "is somewhere for lunch!"  
"Someplace where it's all you can eat," David suggested.  
"I second that," Artemis agreed, smiling.  
"How about that new place, what's-it-called?" Matt asked, excitedly.  
"Sounds good to me."  
"And me."  
"Fine then. It's settled."  
With this, they all let out an even louder cheer, and the Porsche sped off down the road towards the town of Dublin, Ireland. 


	3. Chapter 3: Food

Chapter 3: Food  
  
The car pulled into the parking lot of the most popular restaurant in Dublin: the Wander. Artemis was still beaming as the three boys stepped into the eatery. It was clean, and smelled wonderful. His mouth watered as he looked to the rows and rows of food. Everything you could imagine: these were the four words that described the bistro.  
A waiter stepped to them. "May I ask how many are dining?"  
Artemis smiled at the server. "Three," he answered simply.  
The man nodded, and led them to a table not far from the buffet. He left momentarily, but came back, carrying three glasses of water on a silver-coloured platter.  
A few minutes later, the boys were sitting at the table, loaded with as much food as was possible to eat, stuffing their faces. Artemis looked up from his plate, grinning. "This is great," he managed to mutter before going back to gobbling up the rest of the feast.  
"Yeah," the other two boys agreed. The rest of the meal was silent, with the exception of the clanking of forks on plates. Finally, after quite a while, the meal was over.  
The waiter came back and handed them the bill for their little dinner, smiling at the three teenagers. Artemis reached into his pocket, and handed the man the money. They stood, stretching, and left the restaurant.   
Back on the road, they were debating what to do next. Artemis cleared his throat to get their attention. "It's simple, gentleman," he began, "the only thing to do is stay at a fancy hotel near a beach. Then, we decide what to do from there."  
The two others cheered. "Let's go then," Matt said, smiling happily, and the Porsche sped off through the streets, the boys in search of a hotel, and a place to stay. 


	4. Chapter 4: Hotel

Chapter 4: Hotel  
  
They drove down the paved road, the music still blasting, the residents of the town looking up from whatever they were doing to stare at the Porsche and the three teenage boys, who were singing as loud as possible to Good Charlotte's "Girls and Boys". (A/N: sorry. That's what I happen to be listening to at the moment! ^_^)  
Artemis was leaning out the window once again, but this time, he wasn't just fooling around. He was looking for a place near the water to stay. Now, this wasn't the easiest task ever given to him. He finally spotted a place called "Waterside Hotel". The young man turned to his friends and smiled.  
"How about there?" he asked, nodding towards the hotel.  
David grinned. "That would work."  
They turned into the parking lot, and parked the car, stepping out into the bright daylight. As they entered the five-star hotel, the adults gave them odd looks, but when the three boys walked up to the desk and asked for a room, they thought nothing of it.  
Artemis paid the man standing at the desk, and they headed up the stairs to their room: the most expensive one in the entire hotel. Artemis smiled and sat on the windowsill, looking out at the world below. "Hey, guys! Check this out," he called to them.  
Matt and David came to stand beside him, and he pointed to a group of teenage girls outside, sitting by the water. All three of the boys were hypnotized, and Matt managed to mutter, "Looks like we got us some babes."  
The other two boys nodded, and a smile spread sleepily over Artemis' face, but it soon disappeared as the girls turned around and headed inside. He frowned. "Wonder where they're going to."   
"Whatever," David mumbled, and he went over to the bed, collapsing happily onto it.   
At the end of the day, the boys were exhausted, and decided that, seeing as it was already midnight, it was time to go to bed.   
Artemis curled up, and pulled the covers up to his chin, murmuring am simple, "'night, guys."  
He was answered by snoring, and a sleepy, "'night, Artemis."  
The boys eventually drifted into a restful sleep, knowing that tomorrow would be a great day, maybe even better than today. 


	5. Chapter 5: A swimming pool and old frien...

Alrighty! Chapter 5 is here!!  
  
To My Reviewers:  
  
Luna: Um...you do know who this is, right? ^_~  
  
Holly B: Well, I haven't really decided if it's a H/A story yet, but maybe...okie dokies! ^_^  
  
Kir:^_^ a good idea? Yay! lol here's the next chapter!  
Chapter 5: A Swimming Pool and Old Friends  
Artemis opened his eyes, and closed them immediately: the room was brightly lit by the early morning light. He groaned, and heard a groan in response.  
He rolled over, and attempted to open his eyes again. It was David who had "responded" to him. He smiled. "'Morning, Dave."  
David groaned again, but managed a simple, "'mornin'" before rolling over and falling off of the bed. Artemis resisted the urge to slap himself in the head.  
He finally stood up and looked outside, smiling. It was a nice day out. Looked warm, too. An evil grin spread across his face as he turned to glance at Matt, and David, who were, miraculously, both asleep again. This would be fun.  
"Rise and shine, and give god the glory, glory!" he sang at the top of his lungs. The two startled boys woke up, and Matt fell out of bed, leaving Artemis the only one standing. He laughed. "Get up. I'm going exploring. I hear there's a pool in the basement. Anyone coming?" he asked.  
"No."  
"Mfffff."  
'I'd take that as a no' he thought to himself, before grabbing his swimming shorts and heading out of the room and down the stairs.  
  
When he reached the basement, his theory was proved correct. There was a pool, and he'd be the first person in it. He ran to the boys' locker room, and changed quickly, stepping out into the chlorine-scented room that held the pool.  
But much to his surprise, he wasn't the only one there. The girls from yesterday were leaning against the edge, talking and laughing. The auburn-haired one looked...familiar.  
Ignoring the odd feeling that came when he looked at her, Artemis headed over to the diving board, and climbed the ladder. He ran, getting a good speed up, and did a flawless swan dive. The contact with the cold water woke him up completely. A thought crossed his mind as he came up for air. Was he trying to impress them? No, it couldn't be. There was no way...  
The auburn-haired one looked up at him, and he noticed her pointed ears...wait a minute. It wasn't, it couldn't be.  
"Artemis?!" Holly asked, her watery hazel eyes widened, but she smiled. "Artemis! It's you!" She swam over to him, and pushed him back under the water. When he finally came up, she laughed. "It really is you!"  
He nodded and smiled. "It's been a while, I suppose.."   
They talked a while, and she introduced him to Lili and Carmen, her friends. That was when Matt and David decided to join them.  
Being a show-off like always, Matt ran to the diving board, and jupmed, doing a cannon ball. As if they weren't wet enough already, he made sure to splash them. David jumped in between Carmen and Lili with a coy smile. "Hey there, ladies," he said smoothly. Lili giggled, and Carmen turned away to watch Matt.  
Holly sighed loudly and leaned on Artemis' shoulder. "I missed you, you know," she mumbled, attempting to make it so only Artemis could hear her.  
"I missed you, too," he replied gently, reaching over to stroke her hair. "Hey, what room are you in?" He asked with a smile.  
"310," she answered shortly.  
"I'm in 311. How did that happen?"  
"I don't know, but why do you want to know?"  
Artemis grinned. "So that I could come say goodnight to you tonight."  
"Awww, really? You'd do that for me?" Holly asked sarcastically. Of course he would come say goodnight to her, and if he had his way, he'd stay with her the whole night.  
"Yep," he responded with a smile. "Of course I would."  
  
They spent the whole day together: ate at some fancy restaurants, looked around town, and Artemis even took the girls shopping, by request, of course. When finally the night came, they were all ready to sleep. There was no doubt about that.  
Artemis followed Holly into her room, and sat on her bed beside her. She laid down, and he leaned over her, touching his nose to hers. Then, he kissed her. He couldnt believe what he was doing. His first kiss...  
When he finally pulled away, he smiled and whispered, "Goodnight, Holly."  
She looked back at him shyly. "Goodnight, Artemis."  
As he left the room, he could have sworn he heard her say, "I love you." But then again, it could have just been his imagination.  
Artemis climbed into bed again, and sighed loudly, staring at the ceiling. Yes, this had been most definitely a great day. He rolled over, and soon had drifted into a restful sleep. 


	6. Chapter 6: Of nightmares and consolation...

Chapter 6: Of nightmares and consolations  
Something poked him. And again, and again. Finally, he opened his eyes, and looked over to see Holly beside him.  
She looked afraid. Sincerely afraid. He smiled comfortingly. "Holly? What's wrong?" he asked quietly.  
"I had a nightmare," she whispered softly. "And I came to check if you were alright."  
"Well, there's no sense in going back to your room, so get in," he said with a smile, motioning for her to get in bed with him.   
Holly climbed up onto the bed and snuggled down next to him, still looking scared.  
"Tell me about your dream, and I'll try to make it all better, okay?" Artemis whispered.  
"A psychopath broke into the hotel, and attacked you. And in my dream, I saw you die, and it was horrible. Then, he turned to me, and I woke up right before he...he killed me, too."  
Artemis wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry. I'm alright, you're alright, and I'm sure nothing of the sort will happen. And if something was to happen, well then, I'd...I'd just have to attack him myself, and I'd protect you with my life."  
She smiled weakly, and leaned on his chest. "Okay, I believe you. Thank you, Artemis."  
"You're welcome, Holly. Anything for you."  
And before they knew it, sleep had claimed them.  
  
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Alrighty, ppl! Another few chapters completed. Do you think this is alright? Should I continue?  
  
Plz review!  
  
*-=Artemis=-* 


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